Also called spousal support and alimony, spousal maintenance does not come automatically as part of a divorce settlement or marriage dissolution agreement. The payments must be requested in addition to filing the petition to end the marriage, and the person seeking alimony must make a clear and convincing case for deserving spousal support.

Best Spousal Maintenance Law Firm in your Area

Hiring a spousal maintenance attorney with offices in Columbus or Dublin is often critical for a wife or husband in central Ohio who believes continuing to receive financial support will be necessary to meet basic and accustomed living expenses once their marriage ends. Military spouses are particularly well-advised to work with a knowledgeable and experienced divorce or dissolution lawyer because appealing for a share of active duty or reserve pay and pension benefits can bring many obstacles.

A Dublin spousal maintenance attorney will ask and answer many questions important to substantiating an alimony request and justifying a spousal support amount. Those questions include:

• Did the other spousal provide most or all of the financial resources for the couple or family?
• Did the other spouse depend on his or her partner to complete a degree or professional training program, establish a business, or provide total management of the household?
• Does the other partner earn considerably more money than his or her partner?
• What are the monthly expenses for the man or woman requesting spousal maintenance payments? Expenses can include mortgage payments or rent, food, utilities, clothing, transportation, and entertainment, with the standard generally being what is being spent when the divorce or dissolution petition was filed.

Note that child support expenses and payments are considered separately from spousal maintenance. Money for a child’s health, education, shelter, and well-being is generally awarded automatically in divorce and dissolution proceedings according to rules set by Ohio courts. Those payments belong the child, however, even though the custodial parent administers the funds.

A key service a Columbus spousal maintenance lawyer will provide is designing a spousal support payment plan that takes into consideration both what the client deserves and what the other spouse can bear. While enforcing an alimony order sometimes becomes necessary, the spousal maintenance attorneys with Edward F. Whipps & Associates proceed from the belief that it makes the most sense to set up an arrangement that both ex-spouses find fair and acceptable.

Another important service a spousal maintenance lawyer in Dublin will make available is tax planning. Monthly alimony payments and lump-sum settlements count as income to the recipient and can be partially deductible as expenses for payers. Planning for how these realities will affect future financial security is essential.

Contact an Experienced Columbus Spousal Maintenance Lawyer Today

Our attorneys handle divorce trials, dissolution negotiations, and all forms of alternative dispute resolution for family law issues, including mediations and arbitrations. If you need to speak with a spousal maintenance attorney in Columbus, Ohio, or in Dublin, OH, you can request a confidential consultation calling our office at (614) 461-6006 or filling out this online contact form.